


Sweetness

by PFDiva



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Asexual Character, Ibex being a smarmy bastard, Kissing, M/M, fight me, hieron anime, like the possibilities boggle the mind for the anime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 14:16:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14357214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PFDiva/pseuds/PFDiva
Summary: Ibex brings Orth a gift.





	Sweetness

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, I blame Dora for this. It's set probably during the Firebrand game? Sometime between the September Incident and the end of the season, vaguely, with a brief flashback to the Kingdom game.

"Orth."

He looked up from his paperwork to find Ibex coming into his office. It was late, the sun having long set outside Orth's window.

Orth deliberately cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. The muscles were all tense from the hours spent hunched over his work and he really didn't have to give Ibex the time of day. He would, because he and Ibex had known each other too long for that kind of pettiness, and Ibex would know they'd known each other too long, but Orth could make Ibex wait.

"I'm busy," he sighed, watching Ibex get closer to the sad pool of light cast by his desk lamp. Of course Ibex found a way to look graceful with a cane and a limp.

"I know," Ibex assured Orth, "I was just in the area and I saw your workspace was here."

Orth's workspace wasn't particularly distinctive from the outside, so Orth didn't buy that, but he didn't argue. When it became clear that Ibex wasn't going to sit in one of the chairs facing Orth's desk, Orth obligingly moved some papers aside so that Ibex could sit on the desk. Ibex wasn't like this all the time, even with Orth, but he had his dramatic moments.

Once Ibex was settled, Orth sat back in his chair to meet Ibex's fond gaze with his significantly less amused one, "Well, you've found me. What do you want?"

"I saw something and I thought of you." Ibex produced a golden yellow gift bag from somewhere on his person. It was a little bigger than a jewelry box and Orth frowned his confusion.

"What's this? Why are you giving me this? You don't _need_ anything from me."

"Sometimes, it's not about needing things from people, Orth. Have a little faith."

"In you?"

Ibex didn't bother to look contrite, switching the bag and cane between his hands so that he could hold the bag out more insistently at Orth, "I just thought you'd like it."

Orth grunted his annoyance and took the bag. He was too tired for this. He was always too tired, though. The bag was heavier than expected, and when he opened it, he found a box with a distinctive blue and gold color scheme.

"You didn't."

"I did."

He had. It was a Golden Lance badge from the Marielda OVA of Hieron. A rare and expensive metal one instead of the cheaper plastic. The design of the box showed a broad-shouldered man in suspenders, holding a sawed-off shotgun with an ill-suited golden bayonet attached, spouting fire. Sige Colburn.

"In the anime the cane is black," Ibex sighed, "But you know marketing."

"I know," Orth murmured in disbelief.

"You like Sige, right? I mean, I remember you being fond of Samothes and he's similar in many ways."

Hieron was such an old anime, in spite of its huge success, and in the manner of old animes, it recently had a revival, just to see if any money could be wrung out of the now-older audience. Orth had watched the OVA, but hadn't been willing to spend the money for the overly-expensive merchandise. Especially not a metal Golden Lance badge.

Even so, he carefully fished the badge out of the package and activated the sequence of holographic animations: Sige using his pseudo-bayonet to spew fire, Sige running from something with Aubrey skirting past in the frame, Sige punching an invisible target with those forceful swings he was known for.

After watching the animations a few times, Orth quietly replied, "Yeah. Yeah, I do like Sige. He's...yeah." Orth reverently put the badge back into the box, looking up to see Ibex smiling down at him, pleased.

"I'm glad you like it. It's no secret you're working hard these days. You should treat yourself now and again."

And rather than telling Ibex that this was an inappropriate gift, too expensive for their positions and too intimate for their relationship, Orth was suddenly young again: tongue-tied and uncertain, sandwiched between a Divine and an Apostolosian princex and some of the most skilled rigger pilots in the Golden Branch. And Ibex. Two Divines.

He shoved the box and bag into Ibex's chest, "I can't take this, I can't let you--"

"Orth," Ibex interrupted, his fingers capturing Orth's and holding the other man's hands against his chest as he leaned in, "You're going to fuck things up. You're going to--"

"I'm not going to fuck up--"

"You're going to fuck things up," Ibex patiently repeated, "You're killing yourself for this company that doesn't really need you. Not when you're in this condition." Orth was faltering, falling into Ibex's oh-so-sincere eyes, as usual.

"A little trinket's not going to ruin everything you've worked for," Ibex continued, "You are." Ibex put his cane on Orth's desk, freeing up one hand to reassuringly cup Orth's face, "So just accept this in the spirit it's given."

Orth fell silent then, solemnly searching Ibex's face for answers. After a moment, Ibex closed the distance to kiss Orth. It was a good kiss, as far as kisses went. Orth wasn't hugely in favor of them, in general, but it wasn't terrible. Orth didn't mind until Ibex deepened the kiss. Ibex's mouth tasted of candy and Orth was suddenly reminded of an idle conversation with Ibex, years ago.

They'd been discussing some couple who thought they were being discreet about their off-again, on-again relationship. When Orth expressed confusion over that sort of thing, Ibex had suggested sex had something to do with it. Orth remembered waving off the explanation in distaste, finding it foolish. He'd never been interested in sex and while he wasn't terribly experienced with it, that didn't bother him. He'd felt comfortable enough, in that moment, to explain to Ibex that even kissing bored him, unless his partner had been eating something sweet that lingered in their mouth.

The shock of memory reminded Orth, rather viscerally, that he wasn't young and stupid anymore. In fact, he was furious. Ibex wouldn't have kissed him back then. Ibex had been pretending to respect Orth, once, and now wasn't even making the effort. He determinedly pushed Ibex back. His expression must have been quite communicative, because Ibex primly tucked the badge back into the bag and picked up his cane.

"I suppose I should be on my way."

"That's a good idea."

"You're sure you don't want--?"

"I'm very sure. Now get out of my office."

Ibex gave Orth a considering look, "Maybe you won't fuck up after all." And then he gracefully limped out.

When Ibex was gone, Orth let himself be tired, just for a moment, his head slumping back against his chair. He definitely wasn't watching Hieron. Not for a while. He was behind on Second Citadel. Maybe he could catch up on that.


End file.
